General Seminarian Education Fund
Unrestricted gifts help meet the ongoing costs of preparing men for the priesthood, whether they are college seminarians at St. Philip Neri Seminary, or studying theology at major seminary outside of the diocese. The annual cost to educate one seminarian exceeds $37,000, including tuition, books, room and board, retreats, and other formation expenses. During the 2025-26 academic year, the diocese spent more than $1.5 million in education and formation expenses of our seminarians.
Seminary burse endowments
More than 330 Seminary Burse Endowments have been established by generous donors to provide a permanent source of funding for priestly formation. The principal of each endowment remains intact, while investment earnings provide perpetual educational support. For the 2025-26 academic year, these burse endowments covered nearly $800,000 in expenses – more than half of the cost associated with seminarian education. Please prayerfully consider supporting our seminarians and, God willing, future priests by establishing a new seminary burse or contributing to an existing burse. Every gift, large or small, helps sustain their formation and journey to the priesthood.
Faculty Salary Enhancement Endowment
To strengthen the academic formation of college seminarians at St. Philip Neri Seminary, the diocese provides funding to Newman University to support the salaries of faculty who principally teach our seminarians. This annual investment helps ensure a high-quality educational experience for our men as they study philosophy at Newman. As the number of men in our college seminary program has grown in recent years, so too have the resources needed to appropriately compensate those who educate them. In the coming years, we hope to strengthen this endowment with an additional $2 million in support, ensuring long-term stability for faculty compensation and the continued excellence of academic formation for our seminarians.
Other ways to give
In addition to online gifts, contributions may be made via check, appreciated securities, donor advised funds, qualified charitable distributions (IRA gifts), planned gifts, or other charitable vehicles. For assistance or to discuss a gift to the St. Philip Neri Seminary, please contact Connor Meier at meierc@CatholicDioceseOfWichita.org or 316-440-1755.